I'll wait for you (Clintasha)
by hxwkeye.girl
Summary: [Highschool AU] Natasha and Clint have been best friends since elementary school. Only in high school do they realise their feelings for each other. Soon, Natasha moves to New Zealand to seek treatment for her chronic heart disease and slips into a coma while a new friend arrives at school. Would Clint wait for her, or would he decide to move on?
1. Chapter 1 Bullies

"Here you go, Natasha." Maria handed Natasha a wholemeal sandwich packed in a plastic box as she sat down next to her at the bench.

"Thanks, Maria." Natasha smiled sweetly and moved further in to make space for her friend.

Noisy chatter and laughs were heard across the table as Natasha and her friends ate recess.

Darcy was busy talking about some cute guy she followed on Instagram that she suspected was from the next class, while Jane just pretended to look interested, stealing glances at Thor occasionally.

"Oh my god, look at this photo of his cat, as cute as he is!" Squealed Darcy as she scrolled through the guy's feed and showed Jane the posts.

Thor and Steve were talking about the team they had just beaten at the basketball semi-finals the day before.

"Steve, my man, we'll kick ass and win the championship!" Boomed Thor and Steve chuckled in acknowledgement.

Tony and Bruce were discussing some research paper they had to complete, while Maria and Pepper gossiped about some of the girls around school who were too arrogant for their liking.

Natasha and Clint ate quietly, occasionally giggling when they heard their friends say something funny. It was typical.

Natasha was always the quiet and shy girl who would only smile sweetly at everyone, as if she didn't have any energy to talk out loud, which was true to a certain extent.

Clint was this quiet and shy boy that preferred to listen rather than talk. He didn't have much input in any conversations except maybe a few chuckles and nods. He would often scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment when he didn't know what to say.

The lighthearted atmosphere was soon disrupted by a loud, low voice, followed by ungentlemanly laughter.

"Hey sweetheart, my group just happens to need another member for the project, care to join us?" Joseph Lanier teased and his friends chuckled.

Natasha shrunk in her seat and looked away. Everyone knew Joseph and his gang were always trying to hit on her, so they all sprang up from their seats in her defense.

"Woah, must you all overreact?" Joseph said sarcastically, the smug grin still not wiped from his face.

"Yeah, we were talking to sweet Natasha, it's none of your business." Jonathan Moore spoke slyly, eyeing Natasha from between her friends.

"Stay away from her, Joseph." Clint hissed, this was the only time he would actually speak up for something.

"Why don't we hear it from Natasha herself?" Ethan Gray spat as he narrowed his eyes at Clint.

Everyone turned to Natasha, who was clearly frightened by the commotion.

She timidly looked up at Joseph and his gang before quickly breaking eye contact, afraid of what she would see in those evil eyes of theirs.

"Go away." She said softly, still refusing to look at them. Her face had paled a little.

Maria put an arm round Natasha before shooting a death glare at the bullies.

"Alright, since our sweetheart has told us to go away, we'll do so. But we'll be back." Joseph held up his hands as if in defeat but directed the last of his words at Natasha, a sly glint in his eyes.

Natasha's friends settled back into their seats.

"Are you alright, Natasha? You look a little pale." Maria asked, concerned.

Natasha nodded and smiled weakly.

Everyone resumed their conversations and food. Natasha nibbled slowly on her sandwich while Clint glanced at her. He was worried.

After recess, they headed back to the classroom for Chemistry lesson.

Natasha took a seat beside Pepper, while Clint and Steve sat across the aisle from her.

"Nat, are you okay? You don't look too good." Clint whispered across the aisle to Natasha, before quickly turning his attention back to his textbook before the teacher could catch him.

He eyed Natasha from the corner of his eye and waited for her response.

"I'm fine, just need to take my medicine." Natasha gave him a smile as she whispered back.

With that, she grabbed her tablets from her bag and downed two of them with a mouth of water.

Clint felt relief settle upon him. He didn't know why, but he felt better knowing Natasha had taken her medicine.

After the last lesson of the day, Natasha and her friends headed to the lobby. A black Mercedes was already waiting, and upon seeing Natasha emerge from the hallway, the chauffeur quickly stepped out and held open the back door.

"Ms Natasha." The chauffeur greeted.

"Good afternoon, Jerome." Natasha smiled before waving goodbye to her friends.

She had wanted to offer Clint a ride home, but he turned down the offer, afraid that Natasha's parents wouldn't like the idea.

"Ms Natasha, how was your day?" Asked Jerome, eyes focused on the road as he drove out of the school.

"It was fine." Natasha answered, a hint of helplessness in her voice.

"Have you taken your medication?"

Natasha nodded and Jerome caught her reflection in the front mirror.

Natasha stared out at the road as buildings passed by swiftly. She thought about what Joseph had said and couldn't help but shudder. He said they would be back for her. She knew her friends would be around for her, but what if they happened to be away? There was no knowing what Joseph and his gang might do to her, at least Clint could be around?

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	2. Chapter 2 Cute guy with a cat

Natasha and her friends were having a study period in the library. She, Steve and Jane were using the computers while the rest were at the tables with textbooks.

As she did her research, she came across an advertisement on a webpage featuring Disneyland.

Her eyes lit up as she took in the colourful photos of lights, magical decorations and characters, the castle, and various exciting attractions.

Steve peeped over from the next computer.

"You seem pretty interested in going there."

Natasha was startled by Steve's sudden voice and turned around to face him, a smile flashing across her face.

"I've always wanted to go there."

"Seems surprising a rich girl like you has never been there."

"It's not about being rich, Steve. My parents worry about my health so much that they decided it wasn't good for me to experience that much adrenaline and fun. Besides, they don't have time."Natasha said, sadly.

"I can take you there one day. I'll promise to look after you."

Natasha almost sprung up from her seat, her eyes grew wide.

"Really?"

Steve nodded with a lopsided smile.

Natasha's excitement died down as quickly as it came, she frowned and pouted.

"But I can't go on any of the rides."

"That's okay. The parade and fireworks display are just as good!"

A smile found its way back onto Natasha's face and she held out her pinkie.

Steve chuckled and wrapped his pinkie around hers, sealing the promise.

Steve was literally the protective and loving brother Natasha never had.

Later that day, they had gym class. As usual, Natasha was to sit out. She sat at the bleachers and watched as her friends played captain's ball against the team from another class.

Her eyes darted back and forth as her friends were focused on defending, as well as trying hard to intercept the ball.

She first saw Steve. His face was set in a determined frown and sweat trickled down the side of his face as he waved his arms madly in an attempt to block the opponent.

Then she looked at Maria, who smiled triumphantly when she caught the ball, and passed it to Pepper in one accurate throw.

Pepper then threw the ball to Thor, who directed the ball right into Clint's hands - the goal.

Natasha silently cheered as her team won, and could see Tony and Bruce trying to figure out the angle of Thor's trajectory that had resulted in a successful score.

Her friends took a water break and Darcy came by to sit with her as Jane prepared to take her place in the next game.

While chatting with Natasha, Darcy suddenly stopped and stared behind her.

Natasha was puzzled, and turned behind to look. She saw a guy with chocolate-brown hair and turquoise-gray eyes looking in their direction.

She turned back to Darcy only to see her completely mesmerized just looking at that guy.

"He's checking you out isn't he?" She giggled.

"Nah, he's checking you out." Darcy said playfully.

"You're so mesmerized by him, he must have been looking at you." Natasha continued.

"Why don't we ask him over to find out?" Darcy quirked an eyebrow and Natasha looked stunned.

Darcy waved frantically at the guy, flashing a big smile on her face until she caught his attention. He seemed taken aback and then after looking behind him to check if Darcy was waving to another person instead, he started towards them.

"Why'd you call him here?" Natasha whispered, a little panicky.

"To find out who he really is checking out. You wanted to know didn't you?" Darcy teased.

The guy approached them and sat down beside Natasha.

"Hey, what's up, you called me here?" He said, a little shyly.

"Yeah, Darcy said matter-of-factly. "We just wanted to know which one of us you were checking out back there." She grinned.

His cheeks turned red and he looked down at his lap in embarrassment of being found out as he scratched the back of his neck.

"It was Natasha wasn't it?" Darcy raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Er...I...erm...well, it wasn't-" he was cut off by Natasha and Darcy giggling.

"What's your name, red cheeks?" Darcy prodded.

"James. James Buchanan Barnes. But you can call me Bucky." He said with a small smile, cheeks still a little flushed.

"Bucky...that's a cute name, cute like you and your cat." Darcy said, and Natasha looked at her confused.

"He's the cute guy I was telling Jane about that I followed on Instagram." Darcy whispered to Natasha, keeping an eye on Bucky as he looked at the girls in confusion.

Natasha nodded with a giggle.

"What, is there something on my face?"

Darcy roared with laughter while Natasha covered her mouth to suppress her laughs.

The trio continued to talk and it was clear that they were thoroughly enjoying the conversation as they laughed and grinned from ear to ear from time to time.

The captain's ball game had ended and Natasha's friends stood around gulping down water. They spotted Natasha, Darcy and some guy from the opponent's team talking, raised their eyebrows, and looked to one another.

"Who's that guy?"

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	3. Chapter 3 Sick in the bay

Natasha's friends walked towards the trio seated at the bleachers.

"Hey guys, that was a great game." Natasha said encouragingly, giving a thumbs up.

"Were you even watching?" Steve quirked an eyebrow and smiled playfully, shifting his gaze which Natasha followed to Bucky.

Bucky saw Steve looking towards him and got the meaning.

"Er... Hi, I'm James Barnes. You can call me Bucky." He extended his hand towards Steve who shook it.

"Yeah, Bucky's our new friend." Darcy added, before standing up and whispering in Clint's ear.

"He was checking Natasha out."

To which, Clint's eyes enlarged a tad before narrowing suspiciously at Bucky.

"But don't worry, he's got my approval." Darcy patted Clint's shoulder.

"Why don't you have recess with us, red cheeks?" Darcy invited, gathering her water bottle and towel.

Bucky looked towards Steve and the rest standing around, as if waiting for approval.

Natasha placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, come eat with us." She said with a smile, and that was all the approval he needed, or anyone else needed. Natasha's friends always respected her decisions and gave in to her, mainly because they knew of her condition and wanted her to be happy.

The group of friends trotted to the canteen.

As usual, Natasha ordered a wholemeal sandwich. The rest indulged in an array of food. From ramen to hamburgers to fried rice. They were surprised when Bucky came back with just a cup of avocado juice.

"Is that all you eat?" Pepper asked curiously.

"Erm... Yeah, I eat a lot for breakfast so normally I'll just have juice for lunch."

Pepper nodded, although she looked unconvinced.

Since Bucky was Natasha and Darcy's friend first, he got to sit between them, while Natasha sat next to Clint, as usual.

While eating, they discussed and planned for their project, the one that Joseph had talked about.

Natasha, Clint, Maria, Steve and Thor were in a group. Tony, Bruce, Jane, Pepper and Darcy were another group. Though on different groups, they still held their discussions together.

"So we have to head down to the local museum, snap photos of a few artifacts and write an essay on their historical significance." Tony summarized the task.

"That sounds simple enough, Steve's a history buff." Thor said, poking at Steve's shoulder. Steve smiled, proud of being bestowed the title.

"Hey, then your team has an advantage." Tony pouted.

"You chose your own group members, Tony, and you only insisted on Bruce." Maria shrugged her shoulders sarcastically.

"I'll help you, on the condition of a new Stark phone!" Steve offered jokingly, and everyone burst out laughing as Tony's hopeful expression turned to despair.

"I might consider that, Rogers. My dad's a billionaire you know."

All the while, Bucky sat quietly, sucking on his avocado juice, besides Natasha and Clint who are always sitting quietly.

"Bucky, do you have a group for the project?" Natasha asked as she realized he seemed left out.

Bucky shook his head.

"Hey, Tony. Let Bucky join your group since you seem to need help. Bucky told us he's into history too." Natasha managed to get Tony's attention.

Well, since Natasha had requested it, Tony gladly allowed Bucky join his group.

Bucky smiled, and thanked her.

Clint was observing from the corner and noticed the way he looked at Natasha. Darcy was right about him checking her out. He was glad Bucky didn't join his group.

What was he thinking, why would he bother if Bucky was interested in her. Clint confronted his thoughts, and he drifted away from the discussion.

He snapped back to reality when he found Natasha leaning slightly on him. He turned towards her and found her pressing a hand to her temple.

"Nat, are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"I forgot to take my medicine this morning." Natasha replied weakly, her face paler then before.

"I'll take you to the sick bay and the school'll inform your parents."

With that, he sprung from his seat and held Natasha by her shoulders.

Everyone's attention was suddenly turned to Natasha. They looked equally worried while Bucky's face was a mixture of worry and confusion. Maria and Steve started to get up from their seats.

Before Natasha could get out of her seat, she collapsed, but luckily Clint caught her.

He placed his arms under her knees and behind her back, and scooped her up bridal style. He hurried to the sick bay with Natasha in his arms. Steve and Maria followed closely behind while the rest of her friends remained at the benches, the atmosphere became solemn.

"What happened?" Bucky fumbled with his tongue for the right words before asking.

"Natasha's suffering from chronic heart failure." Pepper replied sadly.

"Oh." Was all Bucky could say before looking down and processing the seriousness of the matter.

"Ms Natasha!" Jerome and Natasha's nanny, Rosa, ran into the sick bay and saw her lying very still on the bed.

"Where's Mr and Mrs Romanoff?" Maria enquired.

"They're busy. They told us to send Ms Natasha to the hospital first while they rush down." Rosa said, her voice quivering with worry.

"We'd better go now." Jerome headed towards the door, holding it open, while Clint once again scooped Natasha up in his arms.

After placing Natasha in the backseat with Rosa, the car sped off towards the hospital.

Clint, Steve and Maria stood at the lobby, eyes tracing the path of the black Mercedes till it was out of sight.

"I hope she'll be okay."

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	4. Chapter 4 Clint the teddy bear

Natasha fluttered open her eyelids. She found herself staring at a familiar white ceiling, overwhelmed by the crisp medicinal scent.

"Ms Natasha, you're awake."

Natasha turned to the source of the voice, only to find a weary and worry-creased woman's face. It wasn't her mother.

"Rosa. Mom and dad, they busy?"

Rosa nodded sympathetically, but quickly added, "they'll be here soon."

It wasn't unusual that Natasha frequently woke up in a hospital only to be surrounded by Jerome and Rosa. Her parents were very _busy_ people, especially her father who often travelled overseas.

Natasha sighed almost unnoticeably and turned to face the window, her tired eyes roving over the lush green tree tops and street lamps.

The door creaked open, which caught Natasha's attention. She assumed it was her parents.

This time when she turned round, a smile spread across her face.

Her friends had come to visit, even Bucky.

"Hey Nat." They all chorused, warm smiles in accompaniment.

Natasha propped herself up on the bed with the help of Rosa.

"Hey guys, what brings you here?"

"We came to see how you're feeling. Better?" Pepper asked cheerfully.

Natasha nodded with a smile and her eyes searched for Clint among the crowd.

When their eyes met, the gentleness in his gaze warmed her heart and her shoulders relaxed a little as he returned a lopsided smile.

"Our project...I'm sorry." Natasha suddenly frowned, looking down at her hands that were interlocked in her lap.

"Don't worry about it Natasha, just rest well and get better soon!" Maria comforted, sitting down next to Natasha and putting an arm round her.

After some chit chat, Natasha's friends left. That was when her parents came.

"Honey, are you alright?" Mrs Romanoff asked as she hugged her daughter tight.

"I'm fine, mom. I just forgot to take my medication."

Upon hearing that, Mrs Romanoff pulled away from Natasha and glared at Rosa, who was standing quietly at the corner of the room.

Rosa quickly apologized and looked timidly at her furious employers.

"Mom, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. Don't blame Rosa, I'm old enough to be responsible for myself."

"Don't scare us like that again, sweetie." Mr Romanoff said as he patted Natasha's head. Natasha nodded subtly before lying back down on the bed.

Night soon crawled across the sky and the ward was plunged into darkness, only illuminated slightly by the faint glow of the light in the hallway outside the door.

Natasha remained awake while Rosa slept soundly on the couch by the bed.

She felt lonely, as she had felt whenever she stayed at the hospital. Previously, Rosa had remembered to bring her favourite teddy bear to accompany her. This time she forgot, and Natasha felt extremely isolated without the bear that she hugged to sleep every night - the bear that Clint had given her for her birthday 3 years ago.

 _It's just a toy_ , her mother would often say whenever she noticed how the thread had come off on one of its ear and persuaded her to throw it away. Natasha was always extremely defensive about this bear and would ask Rosa to mend it for her.

She didn't know why, but she felt a special attachment to it. It made her feel less lonely, less helpless, less afraid, lass sad. It reminded her of Clint who never fails to make her feel the same way.

So on this lonely night in a lonely hospital room, Natasha wrapped her arms around herself and drifted off into a restless slumber.

Natasha returned to school three days later, and received a warm welcome from her friends.

"I'm so glad you're back, Natasha!" Maria hugged her.

The others smiled and nodded in agreement.

Natasha was happy, as she found that Bucky had gotten along well with her friends, and was now a valued member of the group.

"Hey Natasha, good recommendation on your part, James was a great group member! Our project turned out really well!" Tony exclaimed and patted Bucky on the shoulder and he blushed at the compliment.

"History buffs ftw!" Steve chimed and gave Bucky a bro fist.

After much jokes and chatter in front of the lockers, the bell rang and they headed to class.

After the last lesson of the day, Natasha headed to her locker. Bucky ran after her with his backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Hey Natasha...I...erm, would you like to go out with me this Saturday, tomorrow?"

Bucky blushed, bit his lip and rubbed his hands together waiting for her answer.

Natasha smiled, but before she could answer, Bucky interjected.

"It's okay if you don't want to though..."

"That's not how you ask a girl out. What if she really meant to go with you?" Natasha smirked.

"Really?! I-I mean that's great! I-I'll pick you up at 12." Bucky was overjoyed. He beamed at her before running the other direction, as if not believing he had successfully asked Natasha out. Once out of school, he pumped his fist into the air in victory.

"Woah bro, what made you so happy?" Steve slung an arm round his shoulder.

"Natasha has agreed to go out with me!"

Steve chuckled and patted Bucky's shoulder in encouragement.

Back at the lockers, Darcy walked up to Natasha.

"What's happened with red cheeks?"

"He asked me out."

Darcy raised her eyebrows and nodded with pressed lips.

"Are you angry with me?"

"Of course not! I've always been rooting for you and red cheeks. I only liked his cat." Darcy laughed and Natasha giggled.

That night, Bucky lay in bed too excited to sleep. He had never been on a date with a girl before. He hoped his lunch and movie plans would go smoothly.

Natasha was just as excited to spend a day out with her new friend.

Rainbows and cotton candy clouds dominated their dreams that night.

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	5. Chapter 5 One buck on a date (buckynat)

At 12, Bucky arrived at the driveway of Natasha's mansion on a motorbike.

Natasha was waiting by the front lawn, dressed in a short floral-printed white dress and a pastel pink cardigan. A little mint-coloured sling purse hung on her left shoulder and she wore flats. Bucky couldn't help but notice the arrow pendant necklace she had on that sparkled under the sunlight.

It was a simple outfit but to Bucky, she looked like an angel. She wasn't like other rich girls who liked to flaunt their wealth in expensive clothing, bags and jewelry.

Bucky was looking suave, he had a simple maroon Aeropostale tee on with navy blue jeans. He completed the look with a black leather jacket and black converse sneakers.

Rosa was there to send Natasha off but tensed when she saw the motorbike.

"Ms Natasha, Mr and Mrs Romanoff won't like you riding that."

"They won't find out if you won't tell." Natasha smiled sweetly and winked then left to join Bucky.

Bucky handed her a helmet and after putting it on, she hopped onto the backseat and wrapped both arms around his waist.

"I'll go slow, don't worry." Bucky assured.

Natasha smiled and nodded and they sped off at an appropriate speed.

The wind combed through Natasha's flowing red hair and she thoroughly enjoyed it, being her first time riding on a motorbike.

She rested her head on Bucky's back and he secretly grinned into his helmet.

Soon, they arrived outside one of he malls downtown. Bucky parked his motorbike in the parking lot outside and led Natasha in.

"So what are we doing?"

"Are you okay with watching a movie?"

"Sure!"

They headed to the cinema at the top floor and decided to watch Ant Man, Natasha's choice. It wasn't too violent or scary like a horror movie so they settled for that.

At the counter, after choosing their seats on the electronic screen, Bucky dug into his pants pocket to retrieve his wallet.

"Dammit." Bucky suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Natasha looked concerned and Bucky's cheeks turned a bright shade of red.

In his excitement, he had forgotten to bring his wallet. All that he retrieved from his pants pocket was one buck, loose change from when he had purchased a bottle of water the other day and had been wearing the same pair of jeans.

He flushed with embarrassment and looked at Natasha. He was also sad that he had ruined the first date that he had so meticulously planned for.

Bucky held out the dollar coin in his hand and confessed the truth. Natasha covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.

"I'm really sorry. I guess I'm just not good with dates."

"That's okay. We can still have a good time with one buck." Natasha placed her hand in his and encouraged.

Bucky raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Let's go!" Natasha said excitedly, dragging Bucky by the hand towards the escalator.

They went one level down and Natasha spotted the arcade. She continued dragging Bucky towards there, almost skipping in her steps.

"I've seen others play at that game machine there. It costs one dollar, and if we are good enough, we get to move up the levels and play more. We get tickets to exchange for prizes too!" Natasha exclaimed, a sparkle in her eyes, much like an excited five year old.

Bucky smiled and shrugged his shoulders, seemingly saying 'why not'.

They approached the game machine that was titled Battle Star 4000. Natasha briefly explained that they were supposed to shoot down the enemy battle ships before they shot at them. It was a test of skill and accuracy.

After picking up the guns that were attached to the booth, Bucky deposited the one dollar coin into the coin slot.

The game began and they worked hard at shooting down the enemy ships. They worked great as a team, with Bucky aiming for the top and right ends on the screen and Natasha covering the left and bottom ends.

Shrills of laughter and giggles could be heard amidst the gun shot sounds. Natasha and Bucky were having the time of their lives going at a simple game.

Before they knew it, forty-five minutes had passed. They were now onto level 19. Nobody had ever went that far before, most lost to the enemy at around level 8, but Natasha and Bucky being experts and excelled at teamwork, had unwittingly sneaked their way up the levels and broken the all-time record of level 15.

"This is the final level." Natasha said as she panted a little, mostly from the laughter and giggles. Bucky nodded a little seriously but couldn't help but smile, seeing his date was going really well and Natasha was having such a good time.

Level 20

Bucky and Natasha pressed on for the final level, a little nervousness amidst the exhilaration and emerged victorious.

The booth lighted up and congratulatory music blasted. Bucky and Natasha threw down the guns and hi-fived each other. People surrounding them peeped from the various booths with shocked expressions thrown at the couple who managed to beat the game machine.

A whizzing sound was heard and both Natasha and Bucky looked towards their feet. A smooth row of pink tickets were emerging rapidly from the slot at the bottom, piling up at their shoes.

When the tickets finally stopped emerging, Bucky scooped the whole pile up.

500 tickets. Unbelievable!

Natasha squealed in delight and dragged Bucky towards the redemption counter.

The girl at the counter looked at them in amazement and shock, not believing they had fully utilized the one dollar, but quickly attended to them.

They managed to redeem some snacks and drinks, a giant stuffed rabbit, two phone covers, and a pair of sunglasses.

They collected their prizes and headed to a nearby bench.

As they indulged in Prawn Crackers and Coke, Natasha slid the pair of sunglasses on Bucky.

"Suits you." She smiled, and he smiled back looking cool as ever in those shades.

They then snapped on the new phone covers and took a few selfies, with Bucky in his shades and Natasha hugging the giant stuffed rabbit.

"I have to admit, I never knew we could have such a good time with just one buck. I almost thought this date was ruined." Bucky said with a smirk.

In fact, Bucky was quite sure it was ruined when he realized he forgot his wallet but Natasha managed to turn the whole situation around.

"Thankfully you had found that one buck in your pocket." Natasha said with a wink and they both laughed.

It was getting late in the afternoon. Bucky sent Natasha home on his motorbike.

"Can I ask you a question, if you don't mind?" Bucky asked as Natasha removed her helmet.

"Sure."

"That necklace..."

"Clint gave it to me."

Bucky nodded in subtle understanding.

"Thanks for today. I really enjoyed your company." With that, Natasha gave Bucky a kiss on the cheek and went in through the gate.

They waved once, before Natasha entered the house and Bucky sped off.

Natasha's a very special girl, Bucky thought to himself. That kiss on the cheek meant so much to him. He knew the necklace meant as much to her too.

With a subtle grin set on his face, Bucky started his journey home.

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Thanks for reading! Do favourite and follow! Stay awesome xx

If you had noticed, I used a pun on the word 'buck' in the title of the chapter. It could stand for a dollar or short for Bucky.

To all those Clintasha fans, fret not, this chapter is just to show a little about the relationship between Bucky and Natasha and also Clint's irreplaceable position in Natasha's heart, as can be seen from the necklace she wears, and how Bucky understands that. This is before Natasha and Clint truly realise their feelings for each other.

There'll be more Clintasha in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6 Spare keys

It was Monday and Clint was absent from school.

Natasha and her friends got through the day as per normal, except there was an empty space next to her at the bench during recess, and the quiet trio(Natasha, Clint and Bucky)was now reduced to a duo.

"Wonder what's up with Clint." Tony commented out loud, to no one in particular.

"Yeah, he's rarely absent." Steve added.

Natasha sat silently, as usual, but deep in her heart she found that she missed Clint, just a little. She didn't have that sense of security that he provided her whenever he was around.

After school, Natasha decided to go check on Clint, being that she had the keys to his house. You see, Clint was afraid that he'd lose his keys so he handed the spare set to Natasha to safe-keep. That was how much he trusted her, and Natasha was glad he did.

So Natasha asked Jerome to send her to Clint's apartment instead and told him she'd inform him to pick her up afterward.

Clint felt surrounded by a haze of intense heat. His head felt like it was tied to a stone, so heavy he could barely lift it from the pillow. His whole body ached and he groaned from time to time when he shifted under the covers. He couldn't get up that morning, his mind all fuzzy and delirious.

They keys jingled and turned in the lock as Natasha stepped into Clint's apartment.

She looked around and decided to head to his room.

There, she found him wrapped in his blanket, face and lips drained of colour.

She raced to his side, sat down on the bed, and felt his forehead. It was burning.

"Clint, you're having a fever. Let me get you to the doctor." She bent down and said into his ear, not sure if he could hear it from the temperature that burned out his mind.

Clint opened his eyes a tad bit to see a redhead before him.

"I'll...be...fine. Just...need a little...more rest." He stuttered.

Natasha knew Clint hated going to the doctor so she sprinted to the kitchen to get some Panadol and a glass of water.

She placed the medicine and water on the bedside table before gently lifting Clint's head and propping him up a little with his pillow.

"Clint, here, take some medicine."

Clint lifted an eyelid and opened his mouth slightly while Natasha carefully placed the tablets in his mouth and gingerly fed him sips of water, one hand cupping his chin while the other balancing the glass of water on his dry and chapped lips.

Then Clint slept some more.

Natasha kept vigil by his bedside, dabbing his forehead with a cool towel that she soaked and wrung into the basin of cold water she had prepared.

Now Clint had started to shiver and cold sweat glistened on his forehead. Natasha quickly moved the blanket so it covered till his neck and tucked it snugly around him.

She sat back in the chair beside the bed and looked at Clint. He was usually the one to take care of her wherever she felt unwell. Now it felt a little weird to be in his place taking care of him.

Natasha then glanced around Clint's bedroom. She had only been here a few times and never really got the chance to look around.

She spotted a framed photo on his bedside table and being curious, she picked it up to take a closer look.

It was a photo of the both of them during a homecoming celebration the previous year. She had on some colourful hairspray and ribbons from the carnival stalls and he had a blue star tattoo on his right cheek. Natasha remembered that Clint had to bend his knees to accommodate her height and she chuckled silently. They stood cheek to cheek and beamed at the camera, their whitish teeth gleaming.

Natasha then remembered that this was the exact same photo she had on her phone lock screen. To think Clint treasured that moment just as much as she did.

Natasha put the photo frame back in its original place, angling it so that it was facing more towards the bed, just as Clint had arranged it before. She saw that Clint had also stuck some of their group photos on the wall with blue-tack, but had framed that very special one of the both of them.

Clint stirred from his sleep, which turned Natasha's attention away from the photos. He put one hand on his forehead and frowned.

When he pulled open his eyes, he was greeted by a pair of sparkling emerald green eyes. His bluish-gray ones widened.

"Natasha..." He was surprised to see her, being that he couldn't quite remember when he saw her earlier on.

She gave him an assuring smile.

"How're you feeling?"

"Better than before. Were you here all the time?"

"Just after school." Natasha said, feeling his forehead with the back of her hand and was pleased to know his temperature had gone down quite a bit.

Clint's eyes suddenly widened.

"What time is it?"

"5."

"Shit..." Clint muttered under his breath.

Natasha was puzzled and concern spread across her face.

"I'm late for work."

"You're not going to work like that, Clint." Natasha almost scolded, hands on her hips.

Clint had to work from the afternoon till night to pay for his school fees, being that his parents had passed on in a car accident and he had to support himself and his education. His brother, Barney, had gone overseas to live his own life and didn't quite bother about him.

"But..." Before Clint could begin, Natasha cut him off by grabbing his phone from the table and handing it to him. Clint looked confused.

"What's the number? I'll call your boss."

Clint punched in the numbers and handed the phone back to Natasha. She stepped aside to the door to make the call and inform Clint's boss that he was ill.

Clint sat up and glanced at Natasha's back turned to him.

This girl before him was sent from heaven, an angel. She had nursed him back to health and he vaguely remembered her slender fingers on his face and forehead making sure he was okay. Now Natasha had put on her sweetest voice and was apologizing on behalf of Clint for calling in so late.

This girl before him was an angel, an angel with his spare keys.

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	7. Chapter 7 Clint to the rescue

Clint was all better and had returned to school. All thanks to Natasha's care and firm stance about not allowing him to go to work.

Today they had gym lesson for the second period. They were playing badminton and Natasha sat at the bleachers again.

She watched her friends engage in doubles, Clint and Thor against Steve and Bucky. Maria and Pepper were up against Tony and Bruce, while Jane and Darcy played singles. They all seemed to be having so much fun and Natasha wished she could join in, but her doctored had strongly advised - warned her not to engage in any form of strenuous physical activity. This was further emphasized by her parents who constantly reminded her not to participate in gym lessons.

Natasha propped up her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her palms. She thought about her childhood, and how she had always envied the children who got to run around chasing each other and go skateboarding and try out the newly added flying fox attraction at the playground while she watched from behind her window. That was exactly what she did every gym lesson - sat there and envied her friends.

Natasha finally got bored and decided to go fill her bottle at the water cooler. She picked up Maria's bottle which was almost empty, deciding she would help her refill it and waved towards Maria, who was still engaged in her game. Maria nodded a silent thank you before Natasha exited the sports hall.

The hallway was silent as most students were still having classes. But not for long.

As Natasha filled up the bottles, she heard footsteps turning the corner, as well as the all-too-familiar rowdy voices.

Then Joseph, Jonathan and Ethan emerged. They had done their usual thing - skip class.

"Well, look who we have here. Our sweetheart's looking lonely."

Natasha remained silent and tried to ignore them, fixing her attention on screwing the bottle cap back in place.

Then she felt Joseph move closer and she grew tense.

Without warning, Joseph grabbed her by the shoulders, pushed her against the wall and attempted to kiss her. Natasha struggled and desperately tried to push him away. Her weak arms were no match for his powerful ones that enclosed her on both sides of her head as he towered over her. Joseph's gang stood behind and laughed, thoroughly enjoying watching her helpless being suffer.

Natasha shut her eyes and looked away, frantically trying to avoid Joseph's lips while still pushing at his chest. Her cheeks were stained with tears and she whimpered helplessly.

"Get off her!"

Joseph was pulled off of Natasha and punched square in the jaw by Clint's fist of fury.

Joseph stumbled back, clutching on to his jaw as he stood back up and wiped a trickle of blood away from his lips.

Maria hugged Natasha while Joseph prepared to fight Clint. He clenched his fists and frowned hard at Clint.

Just then, Mr Lorde, the discipline master, emerged from around the corner and headed down the hallway. He adjusted his spectacles and squinted at the commotion.

"What's going on here?"

"Joseph and his friends were harassing Natasha." Maria accused, pointing a finger at them while tightening her grip around Natasha's shoulder in protection.

Mr Lorde caught sight of Natasha crying and demanded that Joseph and his friends see him at his office after school. With that, he carried on down the hallway to the canteen.

With a final glare and sneer, Joseph turned the other way and left with his friends trailing behind him.

Clint continued glaring at them until they disappeared around the corner, then he turned to Natasha, worry and concern in his eyes.

"Nat, are you okay?" He held on to her arms with both hands.

Natasha sniffled before nodding.

"I won't let anyone hurt you again." Clint promised and Natasha leaned into his arms and hugged him, resting her head on his chest. Clint embraced Natasha with both hands around her back, feeling her still trembling slightly from the traumatic experience. The last of Natasha's tears fell freely down her cheek and soaked up a patch of Clint's shirt.

"I hope Joseph and his gang get suspended, or best expelled." Maria fumed, feeling indignant for her friend.

The others nodded in agreement.

After a few more hateful comments about the three bullies, the conversations across the table returned to the light-hearted ones.

Clint glanced at Natasha from time to time to make sure she was okay.

In her mind however, Natasha thought about Steve's promise to take her to Disneyland. She looked towards Steve and decided maybe she could bring it up and hopefully he could give her a day to look forward to.

Steve was busy chatting with his b-ball buddy Thor.

"The finals are coming up next month. We'll be training real hard starting now. Heard coach say we might have to come back on weekends too." Thor commented.

Steve nodded approvingly. Basketball was literally his life and he strived to be the best player as well as bring glory to the school.

Natasha heard, and decided it wasn't the time to bother him with trivial things like a trip to Disneyland.

She turned her attention back to her sandwich, a little disappointed and not having the appetite to eat. She played with the edges of the lettuce poking out from the sides of the bread, flicking it then curling it with her fingers.

Clint spied her and stifled a laugh, which Natasha caught.

"What's so funny?" She gave a small smile.

"I didn't know lettuce could be so fun to poke at." With that, Clint did the same to the lettuce in his sandwich, mimicking Natasha's actions to show her how adorable she looked doing that.

Natasha produced a teeth-bearing smile and punched his arm softly.

Clint never fails to brighten up her day.

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	8. Chapter 8 Beach day

"Hey why don't we have an outing this weekend to the beach!" Darcy suggested.

"Yeah, we haven't had a group outing in ages." Pepper agreed.

Everyone gave unanimous consent, except for Steve and Thor who had basketball training during the weekend.

Natasha was determined to persuade her parents to let her go for the outing this time.

"You'll be over-exerting yourself."

"You're over-reacting. I'm not going bungee jumping."

"Your condition will get worse."

"I don't need you to tell me that!" Natasha yelled, tears creeping to the edges of her eyes, threatening to fall.

"It won't make a difference to my condition whether I go or not." She muttered under her breath before making her way back to her room, leaving her mother standing silently in the middle of the living room with tears encircling her green orbs.

Natasha slammed the door and dived into her bed. She was tired of always being banned from going everywhere, it was not as if her condition would improve just by staying in bed all day. She had had to lie about her date with Bucky the other time too, saying she was going to the library.

Her eyes were wet, with tears of indignation. Why couldn't she be normal like everyone else?

Just then, her phone that was on the bed vibrated.

She sat up to take a look and saw that it was a text from Clint.

[Clint]  
Hey Nat, did you manage to convince your parents to let you go for our outing?

[Nat]  
My mom wasn't very agreeable but I don't care. I'm going.

[Clint]  
Don't worry Nat, tell your mom I'll take care of you :)

[Nat]  
:)

Natasha subconsciously smiled, and hugged her favourite teddy bear that she had decided to name Jeremy, so in short it was Jer Bear.

Saturday soon came, with the sun shining ever so brightly in the azure blue sky, the perfect weather for a day at the beach.

"Be careful, honey." Mrs Romanoff stood at the front lawn as Natasha started towards the car. Her tone was soft and sombre, and her fingers interlocked, seemingly nervous.

"I will, mom. Don't worry, love you."

With that, Jerome opened the door of the backseat and Natasha hopped in, her heart palpitating with excitement.

"You look really happy, Ms Natasha."

"I am, Jerome. I've haven't been to the beach in such a long time." She beamed and saw Jerome smiling just as happily from the front mirror.

They went to pick Clint up at his place, and saw him already waiting by the roadside wearing a gray singlet and navy beach shorts, with a backpack on.

Natasha wore a yellow tank top with cream-coloured shorts that gave off a cheerful and vibrant vibe. She paired it with yellow sun-shaped earrings and tied her hair into a high ponytail.

Natasha was almost on the edge of her seat, brimming with excitement as the car neared the seaside.

Clint and Natasha saw their friends already gathered around one of the benches so they headed towards them, with Natasha skipping every step of the way.

They pulled some beach mats on the sand and decided to play volleyball at the designated area that came with a net.

Natasha sat at the mats while her friends engaged in their game. She didn't mind that she couldn't participate as she was already very happy to be able to bask in the sunshine, to have the sun on her shoulders, a kind of warmth that made her feel all fuzzy on the inside. A cool and gentle sea breeze played with the stray wisps of her hair that wasn't tied up.

Natasha was absorbed in studying the clouds that sauntered across the sky through her sunglasses until she felt an ice-cold object touch her arm. She jumped in response and turned around to find Bucky who seemed sorry to have startled her.

He handed her a drink can.

Natasha smiled and took the drink from him, opening the metal lid to take a sip, thanking Bucky in the process.

"Why aren't you playing volleyball with the rest of them?"

"I thought you'd be lonely."

Natasha grinned at his answer.

"Let's go collect seashells."

With that, Natasha set down her drink and pulled Bucky by the arm towards the shore.

Clint spotted them from the corner of his eye which distracted him, resulting in him getting hit on the head by the oncoming ball.

He fell to the ground and rubbed his head.

"You okay, Clint?" Bruce asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm good." Clint said, blushing a little because he was embarrassed but was glad no one noticed, as Bruce pulled him off the sand.

He looked at Natasha and Bucky one more time before turning his focus back to the game.

Bucky was steadying Natasha by her forearms as she almost tripped over a rock. They both giggled.

Thereafter, they continued treading the shoreline, pointing and picking up various seashells and round, shiny pebbles.

After their hands were full from collecting a substantial amount of sea treasures, they headed further up the beach and sat on the sand, laying out all that they've collected.

The array of shells glistened under the sunlight reflected off the coat of sea water on them. Natasha buried her toes in the sand and delicately picked up a shell to inspect. Bucky followed suit with another shell.

Bucky subconsciously inched closer to Natasha until their shoulders were brushing against each other's.

Then Clint came by and sat next to Natasha, which got Bucky shifting a tad bit away. Natasha proudly showed Clint the shells they had collected, earning a lopsided smile from him.

Bucky picked up a bigger sized conch shell and put it to his ear. His eyes lighted up as he handed it to Natasha to hear the distant but distinct sound of the dynamic sea. Natasha squealed in delight to what was music to her ears and she passed it on to Clint for him to have a personal experience, seeing how he had raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

The trio sat there taking turns to enjoy the calming melody of the lapping waves and relaxing sea breeze.

Soon after, the group had a short picnic of fruits and snacks before heading into the shallow part of the waters just to splash around and have fun.

Tony and Bruce chased Pepper and Maria around in the water while Jane and Darcy dived underwater to have a look at the corals that were nearer the shore. Natasha, Clint, and Bucky had a water fight. They scooped up large amounts of water to drench one another, splashing and directing waves of water towards each other.

Natasha was having so much fun, and her laughs were the heartiest ones of them all. Never in her life had she had the chance to be so free and fully enjoy herself. Freedom sure tasted like a jar of honey, sweet and satisfying.

As the afternoon approached evening, the excitement had died down together with the afternoon light. The group packed up and decided to head for home.

"I wanna watch the sunset so I told Jerome to come a little later, if that's okay with you?" Natasha asked Clint.

Clint smiled warmly and nodded. Although he didn't say it, but he also really wanted to watch the sunset. He was glad Natasha had the same idea.

With the last of goodbyes against the orange sky, Natasha and Clint were left alone at the beach.

They decided to head out to the rocks further into the sea so as to get up close to the setting sun.

Natasha sat hugging her knees to her body as she rested her head on Clint's shoulder. Clint had an arm supporting himself behind her as he gently placed his head atop hers.

The sky was a dynamic colour palette. Vivid hues of orange and red slowly welcomed a splash of pink and purple. The colours mixed like a brewing potion, swirling among the stray wisps of clouds floating by, welcoming the arrival of the setting sun.

The sun's rays turned the surface of the water a creamy yellow, spreading out like red carpets rolled towards the shore, the layers interrupted only by the gentle currents out at sea. The horizon line seemed distinct and glowing.

A cool breeze danced with Natasha's hair that she decided to let down from her ponytail. The fiery red locks twirled around the face that framed her beauty.

Natasha closed her eyes to enjoy the calming sensation that settled upon her. In her heart she knew that this would probably be the first and last sunset she would ever see.

To be able to spend it with a friend and a sturdy, unfailing shoulder to lean on, she was contented.

A dash of tears hung precariously on the edges of Natasha's eyelids. This beauty - this moment - is forever but not always.

As the moon made its subtle appearance in the faded purple sky, the setting sun signaled the end of a beautiful day, as it was the passing of another invaluable day in Natasha's unpredictable and fragile life.

She let the tears slip, hoping, longing to be able to see many more sunsets in whatever that is left of her uncertain future.

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	9. Chapter 9 When she gets home

Clint's birthday was in two days.

Natasha was really excited about it. She had used the seashells that she had collected that day at the beach to make a wind chime for him.

She was half done with it. She had selected the best and most exotic shells and stringed them beautifully in a spiral, adding little bells at the base of each strand.

She was satisfied with it. It reminded her of the wonderful time she had at the beach and of the sunset. She hoped it would remind Clint of that happy time too.

Natasha planned to finish it, as well as make a birthday card for him, wishing that all his wishes come true and thank him for all that he'd done for her when she got home that day.

At the start of recess, Natasha headed to the library to have her literature essay printed. As the sign-up booth for a school performance was right in front of the main staircase, the whole hallway was crowded and Natasha decided to use the back staircase to reach the library.

With the thumbdrive clutched in her palm, she ascended the steps towards the third floor. The back staircase was empty and quiet as it was rarely used. A janitor's closet hid in the stairwell and a few mops and brooms rested lazily by the railings.

As Natasha reached the second floor, she suddenly felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her chest. She hurriedly crouched down and wrapped her arms around herself, her face scrunched up in agony. Her breathing grew shallower and her face paler. Beads of cold sweat trickled down the side of her head and she let out a final gasp before collapsing into the ground.

Meanwhile at their usual lunch table, Clint was waiting for Natasha to get back. The seat was left empty between him and Bucky, and a wholemeal sandwich lay on the table in wait of its owner. Clint didn't touch his food and he often looked in the direction of the library and main staircase, assuming Natasha would emerge from there.

After twenty five minutes passed, Clint had a feeling that something bad happened to Natasha. It would usually take only ten minutes to print something and get back. Besides, Natasha wasn't one to dillydally and waste time. Clint felt a gaping hole within him, sucking away all feelings, leaving only the bad, foreboding ones. He couldn't wait for anything to happen to Natasha.

With that, he sprung up from his seat and headed to the library, squeezing past the crowd of people at the hallway to make it up the main staircase.

After looking into the printer room and found no trace of Natasha, he searched every row of shelves and ended up back at the entrance, scratching the back of his head in worry, and clueless.

He decided to ask the librarian if she had seen Natasha, identifying her as a redhead as there weren't many girls with red hair at school.

The answer he got made his heart hit the ground. She didn't even reach the library, which meant something must have happened to her along the way. The thing was, he hadn't seen her anywhere along the way, he had covered the usual route up to the library, unless...

He exited the library and decided to check out the back staircase, just in case Natasha had chosen to go by that way. He couldn't leave out any possibility.

And as Clint had partially expected, he found Natasha lying by the landing.

"Natasha!" He sprinted towards her, at a speed that could easily win him the medal at the Olympics.

Clint knelt down beside her and supported her by the shoulders, hugging her close to his chest and shaking her gently, calling out to her. Natasha's face had now become a ghastly white, her lips the lightest shade of peach, if not white.

He reached to hold her hand and almost jumped back in shock. They were icy cold.

Continuing on his Olympic run, Clint rushed Natasha, who was tucked closely to his chest and in his arms, to the sick bay.

Clint pushed through the throng of people, not even making any attempt to apologise or excuse himself. Angry and judgmental eyes stared and glared back at him, but he didn't care. All he cared about was Natasha.

Bruce spotted Clint running across the hallway with Natasha in his arms and notified everyone. Soon, everyone had set down their food and sat in silence, their faces plastered with grim expressions.

Jerome arrived driving the black Mercedes ten minutes later and Clint placed Natasha in the backseat with Rosa. He jumped in too, deciding to accompany her.

Throughout the entire journey where the car sped along the road at the speed of light, Clint had an arm around Natasha's shoulder and her head rested in the crook of his shoulder. Clint's other hand held on to Natasha's, his thumb gently drawing circles on the back of her hand, hoping to warm her icy skin.

As the car pulled up at the A&E section of the hospital, the truth hung in the still afternoon air that Natasha wouldn't be getting home any time soon.

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	10. Chapter 10 Shadow of emotion

Clint paced the hallway of the hospital.

His heart ached to see Natasha in pain and so weak.

Natasha's parents were already speaking to the doctor about her condition.

Bucky and Maria made their way to the wards, only to find Clint staring out of the window in a daze.

"Hey buddy, she'll be okay." Bucky tried to comfort him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, she's strong." Maria added.

The silence resumed. No comforting words could lift their spirits, it was a fact thrown directly at them that Natasha's condition would only worsen as the days went by.

The door to the ward opened and Natasha's parents walked out. Mrs Romanoff smiled sadly at the three friends before heading to the doctor's office with Mr Romanoff holding her by the shoulder.

Clint pushed open the door and peered inside. Natasha's fragile body lay on the bed, an oxygen mask to her face. Her eyes were tired. She was tired.

He approached the bed and Natasha felt one side of the bed dip down as Clint sat down and held her hand.

Natasha turned her tired eyes to Clint's. The once vibrant and sparkling emerald green had now became a faded pale one. The lustre and energy were gone. She saw the concern in a swirling mix in Clint's gray eyes.

"I'm sorry..." It was a weak, hoarse whisper through the oxygen mask.

Clint felt the urge to cry, he didn't know why but his eyes started to swell up with tears.

"You don't have to be. None of this is your fault. You don't deserve this at all." Clint's voice came out as a strangled cry.

A tear slid down Natasha's cheek and trickled down the edge of the oxygen mask to her chin. She wouldn't be able to complete her gift for Clint and present it to him. Regret.

Clint dabbed her cheek dry with the pad of his thumb as Natasha's eyes began to droop.

Bucky and Maria felt their eyes began to water too as they watched the sorrowful scene before them.

They both left soon after while Clint stayed behind and watched Natasha rest. Her face looked especially pale in the afternoon light that filtered through the cream-coloured curtains. Her breathing was slow and shallow. She seemed peaceful, but a sorrowful kind.

Clint had no idea how long he had stayed and was only jolted out of his thoughts when Natasha's parents came in.

He stood up to leave after greeting them.

Mrs Romanoff smiled back subtly in response and put a hand on Clint's shoulder.

"We're taking Natasha to New Zealand where she can receive better treatment. We might just settle down there."

Clint's eyes grew a tad bit wider. He put on a smile and nodded before exiting the ward.

Once outside, his heart churned with a mix of emotions. If they were just going to migrate to New Zealand, he might not see Natasha again. The thought of not being able to see Natasha again made his heart sink, seemingly drowning with regret. But on the other hand, he was happy that Natasha would have a chance of getting better and not have to suffer like this anymore. He didn't know if he should be glad, he didn't know what to feel.

And so Clint trudged home, hands jammed into his pants pockets, head bowed, hiding his emotions in his shadow along the pathway.

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	11. Chapter 11 Maybe yeah will be our always

Natasha stayed at the hospital for a week. Clint and the rest of her friends visited her every other day.

One of the days when Clint visited her alone, Natasha had a little conversation with him.

"Happy belated birthday, Clint. I'm sorry I couldn't hand you your present and card."

"That's okay. What matters is that you're alright."

Natasha grinned, then sadness crept across her features.

"You know I'm leaving for New Zealand next week right?"

"Yeah..."

"I may not be coming back."

"Yeah...I heard..."

 _Yeah_? Was that all Clint, her _best_ _friend_ , felt? Natasha was a little disappointed. She fiddled with her thumbs in her lap and looked towards the window.

Outside, a withered yellow leaf descended gently from the tree on the other side of the window. It was on its journey to its final resting place.

I may not be coming back. I may not have the _chance_ to come back. Natasha thought.

Clint remained silent and leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixated on his lap. He didn't want Natasha to read his emotions from his eyes, that were clear windows to his soul.

Then Bucky came to visit just when the silence was getting unbearable.

Bucky looked uncomfortable when he first entered, to find both Natasha and Clint refusing to make any eye contact and in the midst of a 'cold war'.

He cleared his throat and both of them looked towards him. He smiled sympathetically and held up a plastic bag containing Natasha's favourite dessert - Shaved ice with mango.

A smile emerged from Natasha's initially poker face. She looked towards Bucky with a sparkle in her eyes, looking like an excited child.

Bucky returned the smile and and headed towards the bed. He pulled the table over Natasha's lap and placed he dessert in front of her. He then folded down the plastic bag and removed the cover to the dessert container, handing Natasha a spoon.

Natasha enthusiastically took the spoon from him and started on her well-longed-for dessert.

As Natasha ate, Bucky sat down on the bed next to her and filled her in on what happened at school that day, including all the lessons and interesting stuff. Natasha listened attentively and chuckled at all the funny things that happened.

Clint watched from the chair and after acknowledging that Natasha was good in Bucky's care, he stood up and left quietly.

Once outside the ward, Clint mentally slapped himself. _Yeah_? Was that all he was capable of saying? He had clearly hurt Natasha's feelings. But he didn't know how to express how he felt, in fact, he wasn't even sure what was it he felt.

He bit his lip and hoped he wouldn't be sending Natasha off with her still angry with him. He'd regret it for life if that happened.

Back in the ward, Natasha caught a glimpse of Clint's dirty blond hair from the small window in the door before he moved out of sight.

"We'll miss you, Natasha." Jane said, her tone one mixed with sadness and gladness. She was glad Natasha'll be able to get better, yet sad it meant they would see her less often if not not at all anymore.

"I'll miss all of you too." Natasha said with a sad smile and looked towards everyone, as Maria put an arm around her shoulder.

Natasha had been discharged from the hospital and was spending her last week at school.

Now they were at their usual table during recess.

"Wait guys, why all the long faces? We can visit Natasha in New Zealand anytime right? I'll provide the private jet!" Tony chimed in, trying to lighten the mood and unable to resist any opportunity to flaunt his wealth.

"Have you forgotten that your dad banned you from using any property after you damaged the car the last time?" Pepper added, quirking up an eyebrow at Tony.

Tony was stumped, his mouth hanging wide open at the sudden reminder.

Natasha laughed at his comical expression, allowing Tony to quickly cover up.

"Whatever! I made Natasha happy, see?" Everyone joined in the laughter, except Clint who still seemed bothered by Natasha giving him the cold shoulder.

Natasha noticed, and gestured for him to follow her somewhere. Clint seems stunned at first, but then left the table after her.

He ran after Natasha and caught up with her at the lockers.

Natasha was taking something out from inside her locker.

It was a box, which she handed to him with a tiny smile.

Clint stared at her questioningly as she motioned for him to open the box.

He gingerly lifted the lid and a beautiful wind chime came into view.

Clint looked up from the box at Natasha.

"This was meant to be your birthday present, didn't get to hand it to you earlier." Natasha grinned, clasping her hands together.

"Thanks, heh heh. So you're not angry with me anymore?"

"What do you think?" Natasha smiled cheekily.

"Yeah I guess not."

"Yeah? You do realize that was what made me angry right?"

"Oh I mean...erm..." Clint searched his mind for the right words.

Natasha giggled at his embarrassed look and nearly-red face and decided not to tease him anymore.

"I know what you mean, don't worry." She winked at him and Clint blushed.

"Thanks, Nat. I was afraid you'd be angry with me forever."

"Yeah?" Natasha teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Haha, maybe _yeah_ will be our always."

The two best friends burst out laughing and all unhappiness was left behind.

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	12. Chapter 12 Love on a rainy night

"Mom, can I go out for a while?"

"Our flight is tomorrow at noon. Just be back in time for that, honey."

Natasha smiled weakly and left the house.

There was a knock on the door.

Clint stumbled out of his couch and opened the door.

There stood Natasha drenched from head to toe, wrapping her arms around herself and clearly shivering.

"Natasha! Come in." Clint hurriedly unlocked the gate and ushered Natasha in, then he sprinted to his room to get a towel for her.

After draping the towel over her shoulders, he led her into his room and picked out a t-shirt for her to change into.

Natasha sat on Clint's bed after drying herself up. She was still shivering from the coldness of the rain.

Clint entered with a mug of hot chocolate and offered it to Natasha, taking a seat on the bed next to her.

"You look cute in my t-shirt." Clint teased, making Natasha blush. The t-shirt was oversized, and covered till half her thighs.

"What were you doing out in the rain?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow. I just wanted to visit all my favourite places around the neighbourhood again, but then I got caught in the rain as I was nearby so I decided to drop by to see you. Didn't have your spare keys with me."

Natasha sipped at her hot chocolate, enveloping the mug with both hands to warm them up.

"I'll walk you home once your clothes dry." Clint gestured to Natasha's wet clothes hanging in front of the fan.

"I don't want to go home."

Clint seemed taken aback.

"Well, you're welcomed to stay here, if you want."

Natasha nodded and Clint took the empty mug from her hands before leaving it at the bedside table.

"Get under the covers, that way you won't be cold." Clint helped Natasha under the blanket and tucked it around her as she lay down on the pillow.

He turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll sleep on the couch."

"No it's okay, you can sleep right here in your own bed."

Clint felt his cheeks turn red and he stared at Natasha.

"I don't want to spend my last night alone."

Natasha sat up and moved the covers away to make a space for Clint.

Clint slowly got into the bed, embarrassed, being the gentleman he was.

They lay facing each other, the closeness made them both feel a sense of warmth coursing through their bodies.

Natasha eased her hand into Clint's and smiled. Clint's heart melted every time she smiled like that.

Before his mind could process what he was saying, it left his lips.

"I love you, Tasha."

Natasha's smile grew wider as she looked at Clint turning as red as a tomato after realizing what he had just said.

"I love you too, Clint."

At this, the tenseness left Clint and he smiled back, knowing the feeling was mutual.

Clint pulled Natasha into a warm embrace and caressed her cheek.

Any form of coldness instantly left Natasha and she melted into his embrace, feeling his heart beat steadily against her and his warm breath on her forehead.

In the silence of the room, a soft tinkling of a wind chime produced a soothing melody, swayed by gentle gusts of wind from the fan.

Clint gently lifted Natasha's chin and placed a kiss on her lips. The two of them deepened the kiss, pouring all their emotions out into each other, as if there wasn't going to be a chance to do so anymore. It was painfully true though, as Natasha was leaving the next day and who knows when Clint would see her again.

With their foreheads pressed together and lips aligned and locked perfectly, they smiled into the kiss and let a few stray tears roll down their cheeks.

They didn't want to break away, they wanted to stay like that forever, now that their love was beginning to blossom. But they had to. Natasha didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay with Clint forever, now that she knew she was loved. But she had to.

Clint fell asleep soon afterward, with Natasha in his arms. The warmth enveloped them, even as the rain pelted hard on the other side of the window pane and the world was thrown into a cold rainy shadow.

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	13. Chapter 13 One night

Hand in hand, they entered the airport.

It was crowded, and the atmosphere was a mix of feelings. Some people were bidding goodbye to their love ones at the departure hall while some were excited to go on a vacation with friends and family.

A sorrowful silence settled between Natasha and Clint as they headed to the departure hall. Natasha's parents were already waiting with two luggages as they arrived.

Mr and Mrs Romanoff nodded at Clint as they saw he and Natasha approach. They didn't mind that Natasha and Clint were holding hands, they understood.

They stopped in their footsteps right in front of Natasha's parents and Natasha turned around to face Clint. He took her hands in his and leaned in to kiss her.

Time seemed to have come to a standstill and Natasha and Clint felt they were the only ones existing, basking in the silence and comfort of the moment.

Then it was over, as the busy airport sounds swiftly returned to their ears.

Clint locked his gray eyes with Natasha's green ones.

"I'll wait for you."

Natasha managed to pull a small smile to her face, although she was hurting on the inside to be leaving the love of her life.

Then their hands reluctantly parted.

Natasha took her backpack from her mother and put it on. She then followed behind her parents as they headed towards the departure hall.

She looked back once. Once was enough to draw a stream of tears from her already wet eyes.

Clint stood there looking longingly at her. He waved once, caught her smile, before she turned back and walked further away from him. She was lost in the sea of people in minutes.

All that was left was the faint ghost of her lips on his and the image of her back getting smaller and moving away from him.

The coldness settled in on Clint again. Something he had hoped not to feel again since the night before. It was childish hope. He knew Natasha had to leave, for her own good.

Perhaps she would return a few years later all healthy and ready to lead a brand new life, with him, hopefully.

A few years. He didn't know if he could live that long without her.

The plane ride to New Zealand was silent and painful. Of course, Natasha's parents took extremely good care of her and made sure she was comfortable and feeling well. She could only smile and nod subtly in response. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth to speak, she would cry, out loud and non stop.

Natasha looked out of the window most of the time, trying to focus her attention on the wisps of clouds that floated by and the occasional view of little islands and ships out at sea through the windows of the clouds.

She was wrapped up in a soft cotton blanket, provided by the airline. It was thick and of good quality, but it was nothing compared to the warmth Clint's blanket had given her. Perhaps it was because of him. She knew it was because of him.

Natasha had Jer Bear with her and she hugged him tight. He would accompany her as if he were Clint.

As her parents drifted off to sleep, Natasha remained wide awake. The cabin was dark as the sky outside. She thought of what Clint might be doing right now. Would he forget about her soon? Maybe it was best that way, the chances of her getting cured weren't exactly high. The trip to New Zealand might as well just be false hope. But to her parents, false hope in any way, was still hope.

It would be good if Clint moved on. She wouldn't want him to be burdened by her illness all his life. It was but one night, it was easy to forget, she convinced herself. But as she did, her cheeks felt warm and she realized she had been crying just thinking of Clint.

It was but one night.

Clint couldn't forget. He sat on his couch and sulked, hugging a cushion close to himself, imagining it was Natasha he was cuddling.

He thought about what Natasha might be doing right now. Would she forget about him soon? Maybe it was best that way, she could start a new life instead of sticking with a poor guy like him. He couldn't really give her anything. Her parents could give her everything, that is, everything but her health. He lived in this shabby apartment, nowhere fit for a princess like her. His princess.

It would be good if Natasha moved on after she is cured. He wouldn't want her to be burdened by him all her life. He was already struggling just to pay his school fees, how would he ever provide for her and give her a good life? It was but one night, she could easily forget although he knew he couldn't. As he thought, his cheeks felt warm and he realized he had been crying just thinking of Natasha.

It was but one night. Neither of them could forget.

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	14. Chapter 14 Flashback

It has been a week and a half since Natasha and her family moved into the seaside bungalow in New Zealand. It was nothing less than the mansion she lived in back in New York, Jerome and Rosa came along, everything was like it used to be - well, almost everything.

Today Natasha and her parents had an appointment with the specialist to discuss about her condition and the possibility of a heart transplant.

"So a heart transplant would be ideal, but..." The doctor stopped and his eyes darted from Natasha to Mr and Mrs Romanoff.

"Natasha dear, would you like to wait outside?"

"If there's anything, I have a right to know."

Mrs Romanoff looked back to the doctor and signaled for him to carry on. Her eyes bore the anxiety and worry of her soul.

"Well, there will most probably be complications and the chance of the operation being a success is 60%."

The truth hit Natasha like a bucket of ice water.

60% was all her life depended on.

"Man, I miss Natasha already." Darcy said while munching on a fry during recess. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Clint and Bucky shifted awkwardly in their seats, the gap still left between them as if waiting for Natasha to get back and fill her seat.

Steve and Thor had just finished the basketball finals and the team had emerged victorious. They were now free from training.

"I didn't get to spend much time with Natasha over the past month." Steve said, almost regrettably. He treated Natasha like his little sister and doted on her too much.

"We didn't see her off too." Pepper added a little sadly.

"I did."

Everyone snapped their heads towards Clint, who was now a little embarrassed at all the attention on him and was scratching the back of his neck.

"You did?" Maria questioned, very surprised.

Clint nodded.

"See, there's clearly something between you two." Darcy analysed like a professor, squinting her eyes at Clint, then turning to Bucky, "I was rootin' for ya red cheeks. You didn't try hard enough."

The bell rang for class and the group dispersed.

Clint was glad the judging looks had ceased and that he didn't mention Natasha staying the night at his place, which would most probably lead to unneeded suspicion and exaggerated reactions. It was enough realisation for his friends for one day.

That night, Clint sat on his bed holding the photo frame in his hands. He ran his fingers over Natasha's beaming face and a silly grin formed on his face. He thought back to the morning before he accompanied Natasha to the airport.

 _They both lay in bed facing each other. Clint had an arm around Natasha's waist while she had a hand on his cheek. Natasha was still wearing that oversized purple T-shirt of his._

 _"I'm gonna miss you a lottle, Clint."_

 _"A lottle?" Clint chuckled._

 _"Yeah, it's like a little but in fact a lot."_

 _"Haha...same here."_

 _"What if we don't see each other again?"_

 _"That won't happen, Sweetheart. I'll come find you no matter where you are, I promise."_

 _"I mean what if-"_

 _Natasha was cut off by Clint crashing his lips against hers._

 _After pulling away, he laced his fingers with her delicate ones._

 _"There's no what if." He soothed, a soft gaze set upon her._

 _"I love you so much, Clint." A stream of tears cascaded down Natasha's cheeks._

 _He kissed them all away._

 _"I love you more."_

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	15. Chapter 15 To Auckland

Two months had passed in the blink of an eye. The much awaited school holidays had arrived.

Clint was particularly excited as he could then fly over to New Zealand to visit Natasha.

He had been day dreaming and secretly smiling to himself at the lunch table when Bruce brought him back to reality.

"Earth calling Clint!"

Clint turned his head towards Bruce and the others.

"Did you hear _anything_ I was sayingggg?" Tony asked, a little annoyed.

"Well, erm was it something about... bananas?"

"We're way past that Barton, I was talking about visiting Natasha."

"We're all going together." Jane added.

Then Tony began talking about flying first class, and all the fine dining choices they offer.

Steve and Bucky were talking about how it was more thrifty to fly in economic class because the ride would only be a few hours and they weren't permanently staying in the plane.

A debate started, originating from Tony's counter argument about how life had to be lived to the fullest at every moment and one shouldn't compromise on comfort and stuff.

"You have money, Stark." Steve added, slightly irritated at how Tony was living in his own perfect world and oblivious to others.

It then dawned on Clint that he couldn't even possibly pay for an air ticket, let alone have a choice on which class to fly by.

He stayed quiet until Pepper noticed.

She kicked Tony under the table and he shut up instantly and followed the direction of her eyes to Clint.

"Righttt... The air ticket's on me, Barton."

Clint snapped up his initially bowed head and his eyes sparkled with gratitude.

"Really? Thanks bro, I'll try my best to pay you after I get my wages."

"He's rich enough, Clint, don't need to pay him." Darcy whispered loudly, obviously meaning for Tony to hear.

Clint chuckled.

Tony smiled, genuinely, glad he had made a friend's day and put his money to good use.

"Didn't know you had it in you, Stark." Steve smirked.

"What, I'm not _that_ conceited _and_ insensitive and mean and..."

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"...all the time." Tony finished, finally realizing his flaws and bit his lip.

"That's okay Son of Stark, we understand and still like you." Thor boomed and everyone erupted into laughter.

"So...where's Natasha staying?" Bruce casually asked Clint while they were loading their bags into the overhead compartments of the passenger plane.

"I only know it's in Auckland. Figured I'd call her when we get there to find out her address and give her a surprise too."

"Sounds great! Man, imagine her reaction to know we're at her front door so quickly."

Clint laughed heartily and settled down at the window seat next to Bruce.

During the flight, Tony was keeping himself busy on his tablet. Steve and Jane were reading books. Pepper, Thor, Bucky, Bruce and Maria were watching movies. Darcy was playing video games and Clint was writing in his diary about how excited he was to be seeing Natasha again. Two months without her was really torture. They all slept at some point or another.

Before anyone knew it, 18 hours had passed and the plane was preparing to land at the Auckland Airport. The ten friends headed to the arrival hall to collect their belongings off the conveyor belt.

After Clint collected his bag, he proceeded to call Natasha.

The first two times he called, she didn't pick up. Finally, the line went through on the third try.

But it wasn't Natasha's voice that greeted him. It was a woman's voice - Mrs Romanoff.

"Hey Mrs Romanoff, is Natasha there? Her friends and I are here to visit. Can we have your address?"

"Oh...you're all here. Erm, but she isn't at home and...won't be in a long while..." A hint of sadness coupled with the numerous hesitations in her voice gave Clint a sudden panic.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Natasha?"

"Auckland City Hospital. Ward 42. Bed 17." Was all Mrs Romanoff said before she hung up.

Clint slowly removed his phone from his ear. His eyes were distant and cold.

Steve waved a hand in front of Clint's face, snapping Clint back to reality.

"So, have you found out where Natasha's staying?"

Clint's eyes darted to Steve then to the rest who had come over after collecting their belongings.

"Hospital."

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I had to do some research on New Zealand for this chapter as well as flight timings! I'm living in Southeast Asia so I don't want to present the wrong information hehe.


	16. Chapter 16 Please wake up

"About a week ago, Natasha fainted at home and since then, she has been in a coma..."

Clint could feel his sight becoming blurry as he spoke with Natasha's parents.

He glanced towards the bed occasionally to see the fragile girl with her life hanging by a thread, only protected by the thin covering of silk blanket. The redness of her hair had lost its lustre and vibrancy, they lay broken and crestfallen by her face and shoulders. Her lips, once strawberry pink and smooth, had now been reduced to parched and colorless earth. And her eyes, magical emerald orbs, now hidden from the world. It pained him, and his heart felt like it had shattered together with her.

Steve and Maria were in the room with him while the rest waited quietly outside. They stood silently behind Clint and listened in solemnity.

The doctor entered the room and the atmosphere became tense.

"About the heart transplant..."

"We cannot perform the operation with the patient under comatose condition. Many complications might arise." The doctor replied matter-of-factly, with no sympathy whatsoever in his tone.

He went over to Natasha, checked some of her vitals, penned something down on a clipboard, and left.

Mrs Romanoff looked down, a little devastated, and Mr Romanoff guided her out of the room.

Clint went forward to the bed. He sat on one side and held Natasha's hand where the IV was just like back in New York. Only this time, she didn't feel the bed dip down, and she couldn't apologise.

"Tasha, I said I would come find you and we would see each other again. I waited for you, but why didn't you? Please wake up." Clint brought Natasha's hand up to his cheek and held it there. He yearned for the warmth from her, but all he felt was coldness. The only thing warm were the tears that stained his cheeks and dripped onto her fingers.

Steve stepped forward to the bed and placed a hand on Clint's shoulder. Clint gently returned Natasha's hand to beside her body on the bed and stood up to let Steve talk to her, if he wanted to.

Steve mumbled a silent thank you to Clint and sat down at the same spot on the bed.

"Natasha, I'm sorry I was so busy with my basketball training that I forgot about my promise to you. I promise again that I'll take you to Disneyland when you get better. I won't forget this time. I don't want to regret. Please wake up."

Natasha lay as still as before. The only movements were the gentle rising and falling of her chest.

Natasha's friends hung around her room for the rest of the day. Clint stayed the night while the rest returned to the hotel.

Clint talked to Natasha till the wee hours of the morning. He recounted their memories, and lost himself in the reminiscence of the beautiful days and experiences they shared.

He told her he liked her ever since they met at elementary school and became best friends.

He told her how his life was made better with her around. The study dates they had at the library, walks in the park sometimes...all the way till highschool. The homecoming celebration, watching the sunset, and even the simple act of her taking care of him when he was ill, he treasured more than anything and had chronicled them in his diary.

"Please wake up. So we can make more memories and fill up my diary-" he stopped and smiled, "our diary."

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	17. Chapter 17 The new girl

The school holidays were over. It was back to school for Natasha's friends. Clint was reluctant to leave at first, but he had utility bills and school fees to pay so he had to go back to work. The exams were also round the corner.

The boys were sitting at the lunch table that Wednesday.

"Where are the girls?" Tony asked casually.

The rest shrugged. And as if on cue, a stream of giggles and laughter approached.

The boys turned back to be greeted by Pepper, Jane, Darcy, Maria and a stranger.

The girl had long, wavy chocolate-brown hair and had dimples when she smiled. She was wearing a lace top paired with a yellow skirt and a coral coloured cardigan.

The boys looked on suspiciously.

"Hey guys, this is Laura. She's a new student that just transferred here and Jane's her buddy for the week to show her around school." Darcy introduced.

Laura waved and smiled sweetly. "Hi everyone, nice to meet you all. Jane told me about you guys."

"She'll be sitting with us, if you don't mind." Maria said, her 'if you don't mind' wasn't an option but rather a firm 'you have no say in this' statement.

Darcy pushed Clint down the bench towards Bucky and offered Laura the seat.

Clint and Bucky both didn't quite like the idea of someone taking away Natasha's place in the group, even if she weren't here in person. But they weren't about to be mean to the new student, so they kept quiet.

"Here, have some of these cookies. I baked them myself and thought I'd share them with my new friends." Laura held out a container of chocolate chip cookies that looked delicious, and offered them to everyone at the table.

Everyone politely took one and bit into the buttery, crumbly delicacy. They instantly fell in love with the cookies and praised Laura for her excellent baking skills.

Laura smiled shyly and humbly turned down the compliments, placing the credit on the recipe book.

Being such a kind and lovable girl, everyone took a liking to her almost immediately, and she easily became a part of the group.

One hot and sultry Friday afternoon, Clint was taking advantage of the air conditioning in the library to study for the upcoming exams. He planned to stay there till about 4.30, before he headed off to work.

He was busy highlighting his textbook when a mild vanilla scent wafted by.

He looked up to find Laura holding the backrest of the chair opposite him with one hand and carrying a pile of books and stationary on the other.

"Mind if I sit?"

Clint smiled and gestured to the seat, to which Laura happily sat down and plonked her books onto the laminated oak table.

Feeling a little awkward, Clint went back to reading his textbook.

There was a lingering silence before Laura started to talk.

"Erm, I've only just transferred here and I have to sit for the exams in a month, do you mind if I trouble you with a few topics that I'm unsure of?"

It wasn't like Clint to turn down a genuine offer for help so he agreed, "Sure, where do we start?"

A grateful smile formed on Laura's face, and she flipped to one of the few pages she had tagged in her textbook and moved on to ask Clint questions.

An hour and a half had passed and they decided to take a break.

Laura decided to gain a deeper understanding of her group of friends.

"So, is Tony really the son of Howard Stark?"

"Yeah, he's really rich. He once helped me pay for an air ticket that I didn't need to pay back."

"Wow, you guys must have been able to enjoy lots of expensive stuff with him around. What about Thor? He speaks with an interesting slang, like he calls me Lady Laura."

"He's from England, and you could say his parents kind of brought him up Shakespearean. That's why he speaks like that, it's kind of cool actually."

"Yeah it is. About that space between you and Bucky at the lunch table before I came...Do you both dislike each other or something? Sorry just curious."

"Nah, we're good. Our friend used to sit there..." Clint paused and seemed to be caught in a flashback.

"Well, where has he or she gone to?"

"Erm she migrated to New Zealand." Clint recounted a little sadly.

"Oh she must have been a very close friend. I'm sorry she left."

"Yeah... She was...closer than ever." Clint shifted in his seat and continued in almost a whisper, "to me."

Laura remained silent this time.

The next hour was spent on independent studying, with occasional clarifications by Laura.

Then it was off to work for Clint. They bade goodbye at the school gate and Clint rushed off to catch the bus.

The bus sped off downtown as the sky turned a purple hue.

The same purple hue painted the sky in Auckland, but it was morning of the next day.

The hand with the IV lay unmoving beside the delicate body of Natasha, only protected by a silk blanket.

Her protector, her hero, was working back at the coffee house in New York.

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	18. Chapter 18 Letters to my love

Natasha's mother walked into the room with a cream-coloured envelope in one hand, and a blue velvet box in the other. She sighed, before depositing the two items into the drawer by the bed, reuniting them with the many letters and gifts that Clint had sent over the months.

"Honey, Clint has sent another gift and letter. Wake up soon and you'll be able to see them together with the rest." Mrs Romanoff said encouragingly with a sad smile even though she wasn't sure if Natasha could hear.

Clint had written to Natasha every week without fail and occasionally, when he had saved enough money, he would buy little gifts and send them together with the letters across the continents to Auckland.

Once after work, he was roaming the streets as the shops were starting to close. He chanced upon this jewelry store which had a sterling silver bracelet sporting an arrow charm on display. He thought it matched the necklace he gave Natasha for her birthday many years ago.

From then, he scrimped and saved (not that he doesn't already do it), sometimes not eating during lunch. He knew Natasha wouldn't have liked him to do that, but he really wanted to buy that bracelet for her.

After two months of saving, he was finally able to purchase the bracelet. Clint had excitedly ran into the store to buy it, only to find that they had ran out of stock. He was almost devastated until they told him they had the stock in another outlet on the other side of town.

He flew there in a bus and after purchasing the bracelet, he was overwhelmed with joy. He hugged the blue velvet box and imagined how pretty it would look on Natasha's wrist.

Today after work, Clint trudged home, tired as ever. He flung his bag onto the floor by the cupboard and fell face down onto his bed.

After a few moments of shut-eye, he remembered he was supposed to write a letter to Natasha. Energy surged through him and he sprang up from his bed, and rummaged through his drawer for the paper and envelope. He may be tired, but never enough to forgo writing to his love.

 _Dearest Natasha,_

 _It's been nearly 4 months. But I haven't forgotten about you, nor have I stopped hoping that you'd wake up._

 _The exams are coming real soon and I'm quite afraid I'd do badly, seeing that I'm too tired every night after work to even pick up a textbook. I miss the study dates we used to have._

 _Besides fretting about the exams, I'm also looking forward for them to be over. That way, I can come over to Auckland to visit you._

 _You know, I thought about Steve's promise to you to take you to Disneyland. Why don't I take you there instead? Wouldn't that be better? If only you'll wake up, I'll beat him to fulfilling your dream of visiting Disneyland. You'll be my princess and I'll be your prince. I know this sounds mushy but you'll know I really mean it when I say it in person._

 _And then there's this school dance that will take place after the exams and I'd really love to take you as my date. Please wake up by then, if not earlier okay?_

 _I love you._

 _Clint_

Clint signed off and folded the paper into two before carefully slotting it into the envelope. He sealed it with a kiss (okay, not literally), wrote Natasha's address, and added a stamp. He would head to the post office on his way to work the next day to send the letter on its way.

The letters were piling up in the bedside drawer. With each letter, Clint's love for Natasha grew.

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	19. Chapter 19 Facing the truth

Clint and Laura has been spending a lot of time studying together lately. She had specially baked cookies to add flavour to their mundane study routines, and Clint loved them.

Clint had also joined the newly formed archery club. Although he was busy, he didn't want to sacrifice the one thing he found passion in. He would attend practice and leave an hour earlier to rush to work. The instructor didn't have an issue with that seeing how Clint was his star student and never actually missed the target.

One Sunday, Tony decided to organize a picnic in the park as a day to take a break from studying, although it was questionable whether he even flipped through a textbook. But that wasn't the point, he wanted his friends to chill out a little, seeing how some of them were stressed out, one of whom being Clint.

The weather was good that day, the sun wasn't too scorching and there was a gentle breeze that lingered in the crisp air.

The friends had set up a few picnic mats on the fresh green grass shaded by a tree. They laid out all the fruits and snacks they had brought. Bruce decided to read a book so he stayed at the mats with Pepper and Maria who wanted to read magazines and fangirl about celebrities.

Tony, Steve, Thor, Darcy and Jane decided to play frisbee and so they pranced around the field letting the red disc glide through the air.

Bucky had chosen to take a stroll by himself while listening to his iPod. He felt that allowed him to relax.

So we're left with Laura and Clint, who decided to get some ice-cream. In front of the pastel pink and blue ice-cream cart stood a cheerful round man ringing a bell. They approached him and he grinned.

"Ah, what would the cute couple like?"

Laura blushed and asked for a mint cone. Clint got a caramel one. He proceeded to pay for them but Laura stopped him. She pushed his hand away and paid instead.

After they walked away, Clint looked at Laura a little puzzled.

"I know that money's hard earned, so you should keep it. Take it as a treat from the friend you always help with for studies." Laura smiled.

"You always treat me to cookies already." Clint smiled, one of gratitude.

"That's okay, I'm always bothering you. Cookies aren't enough to pay for all the trouble I've caused you." Laura smirked.

"Nah, it wasn't any trouble." Clint replied and they both laughed.

They walked on savouring their milky treat and chanced upon the bike rental shop.

"Wanna ride a bike?" Clint suggested.

"I don't know how." Laura replied, a little embarrassed.

"You can sit at the back while I ride." Clint said, finishing off the last of the wafer cone.

Laura smiled and nodded. So they rented a green bike, this time Clint insisted on paying and Laura agreed after much persuasion.

Laura sat with her legs dangling by the side and held on to Clint while he rode. The breeze combed through her wavy hair and she rested her head on Clint's back.

It was great and comforting for both of them and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

After about an hour, they stopped by a pavilion to rest.

"So, about the school dance, I heard some people are starting to asks their ideal dates. Have you decided who you want to take?"

Clint froze. After all the time he had spent with Laura, he had almost forgotten about Natasha. A pang of guilt swept over him. He suddenly remembered about what he wrote in his letter to her the other time, about taking her to the school dance.

"Natasha."

"Isn't she in a coma in New Zealand?"

Clint turned towards her and looked questioningly at her.

"Jane told me."

The once warm feelings between them faded to cold and distant.

Laura hesitated, as if pondering whether she should say it.

"You know she's probably not going to wake up anytime soon. Are you just going to waste your whole life away waiting for someone that isn't worth waiting for?"

"She's worth it." Clint said coldly, firmly, although that little hope within him had been quietly dwindling as the months went by and he didn't receive a reply from Natasha after all the letters he had written to her. He wanted to seem sure of what he said, but Laura seemed to notice his uncertainty and doubt.

"I know it's hard, Clint. I acknowledge the relationship you share with her, but why don't you give others a chance, give me a chance? But most importantly, why don't you give yourself a chance?"

Clint looked away. He couldn't bring himself to face the truth he had always been hiding from. Now Laura had said it straight in his face that Natasha probably won't _ever_ wake up. It had already been half a year and she didn't even stir from her sleep once.

He didn't know how to answer Laura, how her words held so much truth, he didn't want to admit.

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What would Clint's choice be? To be with Laura? Or wait for Natasha? Stay tuned to find out!

No hate on Laura please! This is just a test to Clint and Natasha's relationship, an obstacle they must face. This adds tension to the story and I think that's good in a way. Warning that the next few chapters _might_ be heartbreaking but I can promise it won't be all disappointment and heartache till the end.


	20. Chapter 20 Seventh heaven

Her finger twitched.

The doctor did a thorough check and nodded at her parents who stood anxiously by the side of the bed.

Mrs Romanoff smiled like never before, bringing her hands up to her face to cover her mouth. Her eyes smiled just as much as they had cried over the past 7 months. Mr Romanoff beamed back at her and captured her in an embrace.

Their beloved daughter was finally showing signs of waking up.

Two days later, Natasha was fully awake and able to sit up on the bed. She was cheerful and looking forward to catch up on all she had missed in the 7 months she had been dead to the world.

She vaguely remembered hearing Clint speaking to her. Just thinking about him got her all excited, she couldn't wait to see him. She didn't even feel guilty that her parents weren't the first people on her mind, but Clint - it seemed she hadn't seen him in forever.

Mrs Romanoff strolled into the room smiling warmly at Natasha and poured her a glass of water from the jug by the bedside.

"I feel like I've forgotten how water tasted like." Natasha exclaimed as she took the glass from her mother and took enormous gulps.

Mrs Romanoff opened the bedside drawer and pulled out the pile of letters, plonking them down on the table.

"Clint wrote you these, honey."

Natasha's eyes lit up like a firefly in the night.

As she began to open the first envelope, Mrs Romanoff handed her a blue velvet box.

"Clint sent this too."

Natasha set the letter aside and gingerly lifted the lid. A smile as warm and bright as sunshine emerged from her lips.

"Look mom, it matches the necklace he gave me years ago! Clint's so sweet."

Mrs Romanoff smiled and nodded affectionately.

As she read letter by letter, Natasha was elevated from cloud to cloud till she reached number 9.

Her smiles had never been so genuine and natural as they were now. Her eyes danced with Clint's writing on the faint vanilla scented paper as her heart palpitated and ballooned with a fountain of gladness.

He loved her. He really did. She was sure.

However, she did notice that the weekly letters stopped coming a few weeks before. Perhaps Clint was busy with his studies. Perhaps his job didn't allow him any time. Her mind, clouded by sheer joy and unwavering trust, generated the silliest of reasons, perhaps he simply ran out of paper.

Natasha's contented and love-ignited heart made no space for doubts or suspicions. She pushed the boding presence of an unwelcome thought to the back of her mind - _had he forgotten about her?_

Natasha decided to check the time in New York to see if it was convenient for her to call Clint.

It was 6 in the evening back in New York which meant that Clint was at work (that is if he still had the job after 7 months), so Natasha decided to call him a little later, maybe after his work when he got home.

7 months. Besides missing Clint, Natasha also missed all her good friends. She wanted to find out what had happened or is currently happening at school so she logged on to the Facebook app on her phone.

There she was, scrolling and smiling to herself at all the photos uploaded, Tony and Bruce the science bros, Steve and Bucky whispering to each other, unaware that their photo was being taken. And afterwards an angry Steve raising a fist at the camera. Then there was one with Pepper, Maria and Bruce on a picnic mat posing with peace signs. Bruce looked forced but smiled anyway. Jane and Thor looked like very much like the perfect couple in another photo.

Clint wasn't an active person on social media due to his work, so she naturally didn't see much of him except in some photos.

Then there were Darcy's weird daily statuses, some were about Bucky.

 _Red Cheeks was trying to catch the ball during gym today. The ball seemed to be getting closer, then it hit him. Now he's Red Nose as well._

 _Hate math lesson. Who the heck's gonna have to expand an expression to the power of illogical numbers in real life? Like 'you can't enter the cinema unless you expand (x+56) to the power of 82'?_

Her friends were a bunch of really fun and interesting people with very different personalities. Some a tad bit arrogant, some extra intelligent, some a little more introverted, some extremely loud, and some kind to a fault. But that was what she loved about _all_ of them. She wouldn't have them any other way.

She scrolled down a little more to look at some more photos and stuff her friends shared, her heart fluttering on the edge of longing to be with her friends, of closing the gap, of not just connecting with them from behind a screen.

Then her heart stopped for a moment as she came across a very _unique_ status on her feed.

Laura Jones is in a relationship with Clint Barton

Thanks for reading! Do favourite and follow! Stay awesome xx

Let me just be cruel and leave this hanging here for a while.

*smiles apologetically*


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